Pipe and tubing are structural materials that are commonly utilized in the construction and manufacturing trades and are conventionally sized and shaped to meet a vast array of structural and material delivery applications. In the course of construction and manufacturing, there are building requirements that require the use of a tensional mechanism from within an internal bore of a pipe to transfer a tensional load from the internal bore of the pipe to a termination mechanism that is located remote to, outside of, or at a proximal end of the length of pipe. This need is particular noted in the construction of foundation elements.
Conventional foundation elements often include driven pipe piles that are often used to support a multitude of superstructures (structures built above their foundations) or other foundation support applications. Conventionally, driven pipe piles are either end or friction bearing foundation elements and, upon reaching an end bearing or a desired frictional resistance within the soil, the driven pipe piles are terminated. While there exist many conventional methods for coupling the driven pipe pile to the superstructure, in the typical method, the superstructure is fabricated to bolt to or weld to the driven piles upon installation. In other applications, it is known to reinforce and encapsulate the driven pile in concrete.
Conventional helical pipe piles or anchors are typically installed by torqueing the pipe into the ground utilizing a single or series of sized helical plates to engage the pipes into the earth until the helical plates are borne into a strong bearing soil strata capable of supporting a specified load in tension or compression. Sequential piles are coupled together utilizing bolts through the coupling for the connection and torsional resistance during the helical pipe installation process. Typically, upon reaching a specific torque correlated depth capable of supporting the specific desired load, the pile installation is terminated and a specified termination is fixed to the end of the pile for the specific application.
Bolted connections are a common choice for fixation of terminations of driven pile and/or helical pipe piles to accommodate tensional load transfer from within the framework of a structure. Thus, conventionally, upon the proper installation of a helical anchor pile, the pipe section is cut off level within a foundation at a specified point and co-axial holes are drilled into the top of the pipe on opposing sides. Subsequently, a properly sized bolt is mounted through the co-axial holes such that the bolt bisects the cross section of the internal bore of the pipe.
Current practice requires the insertion of a pipe section of a termination plate into or over the pipe pile, and a new construction plate is coupled to the termination plate. In one aspect, it is known to weld the plate and pipe insert to create a new construction plate termination. A sized bolt is then placed through to the opposite side connecting both pipes in a fixed but not positive mounting due to the clearance in the bolt holes to accommodate the bolts. A nut is then placed onto the opposing end of the bolt.
Optionally, it is known to weld a compression bearing plate directly to the pile. This process is expensive and, since most helical pipe piles are galvanized, it creates a considerable health risk to the welder due to the inhalation hazard. The expense of this process can increase of the limited space that is often provided underneath the plate and the pile, which makes it difficult and arduous to make a proper welded connection.